1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum boring and mud recovery method comprising a device which will create a vacuum condition within a vacuum container and the vacuum container is mounted on a sufficient incline to allow debris to be empted out by gravity and to provide space beneath the debris tank to locate a water storage container and having a vacuum conduit to transport a liquid and or solid particles into the vacuum container. A dispensing device may be added to dispense a liquid or a solid from the vacuum container without eliminating the vacuum environment within the vacuum container, and said vacuum container having the ability to fill, store and dispense its contents simultaneously. The vacuum container may further comprises a means to separate a liquid and from solids. Said vacuum conduit articulated boom used to transport debris into the vacuum container may have the added feature or attachments chosen from an earth digging bucket, a telescoping vacuum conduit, sensor to locate buried utilities, monitors and controls to operate the attachments an their function, water spray nozzle, man hole cover remover, cutting tool, grinding tool, saw, blasting tool, surface cleaning tool, demolition tool, torque wrench, tractor to pull vacuum hose, jetter nozzle, or camera and power source to operate them. The above described vacuum system may be mounted on a variety of mobile platforms, chosen from but not limited to a trailer, truck, skid steer, fork lift, track hoe, railroad car, or zero turn radius vehicle which may have the added feature of being convertible between a powered vehicle & a trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current state of the art vacuum boring and mud recovery systems have a vacuum container having the ability to be filled and store liquid and solid particles. After filling said vacuum container to a predetermined capacity, the vacuum producing device must be discontinued, the filling must discontinue, the vacuum environment within the vacuum container is eliminated, the container opened and the contents dumped out. After the container is emptied, the vacuum-producing device may be restarted and the filling and storing may restart. Currently, vacuum containers capable of vacuuming mud and boring earth are operated as a batch process. The vacuum debris container is mounted horizontal and filled with debris. After it is full of debris a hydraulic jack tilts the tank for unloading. The vacuum tank, water tank, and other support equipment are each mounted separately on a trailer or truck bed, thus consuming a lot of floor space.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a means to accomplish a compact, concentrated weight, vacuum boring & excavation system by creating a vacuum container mounted at a sufficient incline to allow debris to be empted out by gravity and to provide space beneath the debris tank to locate a water storage container.
It is yet another objective of the invention to provide a means of separating the stored contents by predetermined category and dispensing them without stopping the vacuum fill and store operation or eliminating the vacuum environment within the vacuum container.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an articulated powered vacuum conduit boom with sufficient structural strength to allow an operator to move and control the location of the suction end of the vacuum conduit and said suction end of said vacuum conduit have an earth digging bucket mounted adjacent it, and said conduit boom with said earth digging bucket being mounted on a mobile vehicle, and a preferred vehicle being a powered zero turn radius vehicle having the ability to be converted into a tow able trailer configuration for the purpose of transporting from job to job.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a vacuum conduit boom with sufficient structural strength, power and articulated movement to allow an operator to move and control the location of the suction end of the vacuum conduit into a manhole lateral line along with a jetter spray nozzle.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an articulated powered vacuum conduit boom with sufficient structural strength to allow an operator to remotely move and control the location of the suction end of the vacuum conduit with one or more attachments adjacently attached to the suction end of said vacuum conduit and said attachments being chosen from an earth digging bucket, a telescoping vacuum conduit, sensor to locate buried utilities, monitors and controls to operate the attachments and their function, water spray nozzle, manhole cover remover, cutting tool, grinding tool, saw, blasting tool, surface cleaning tool, demolition tool, torque wrench, tractor to pull vacuum hose, jetter nozzle, or camera and power source to operate them.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to separate hydrocarbons from the contents vacuumed into the vacuum container.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a means to purify or sterilize the contents vacuumed into the vacuum tank.